Jamie Foxx Tells Good Morning America:...

Jamie Foxx Tells Good Morning America: ‘I’m White’

TIMES SQUARE, Ny. – During an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America, Academy Award-winning actor and producer Jamie Foxx revealed shocking new details about his personal life today. Initially appearing on GMA to promote his upcoming film ‘Sleepless Nights,’ Foxx deviated from the topic, saying he wanted to discuss a personal matter. Taking a more serious tone, Foxx said, “George, I’m white.”

Foxx, who was born and raised in Terrell, Texas, said his real name is James Robert Moreland. “Folks used to call me ‘Jim Bob,'” the actor recalled. “Growing up in Terrell, I always felt like a black man living inside a white man’s body.” Early on, Foxx said he struggled to find suitable roles that fit his identity. Eventually, he said, “I realized I was meant to act in black roles.” With the help of Willie Beamen, a childhood friend and makeup artist, Foxx landed a spot on In Living Color in the early 1990’s.

“It was a defining moment for me,” Foxx told Stephanopoulos. “Not just as an actor but on a personal level, too.” In 1998, Foxx traveled to Switzerland where he underwent transracial surgery to become an African American. “Afterwards I knew I’d made the right decision.” Since then, the Grammy award-winning actor and rapper has enjoyed an ever successful career in the entertainment industry.

Foxx, who won an Academy Award in 2004 for Best Actor after his stunning portrayal of Ray Charles in the movie ‘Ray,’ told George Stephanopoulos what led him to come forward. “I was incredibly moved by Rachel Dolezal and the courage she showed in admitting her heritage,” Foxx said, adding, “She’s an inspiration to the transracial community.”

Foxx told Stephanopoulos he’s established a Kickstarter campaign in order to raise money to pay for a transracial operation for Rachel Dolezal, should she want it. “I’ve already contributed $10,000 to it,” Foxx said. Stephanopoulos, visibly moved by what he described as Foxx’s “compassion and humility,” pledged to match the African American actor’s contribution with a donation of his own.

Rachel Dolezal, former president of Spokane, Washington’s NAACP chapter, made headlines last week when her estranged parents publicly outed her as being “white.” Ms. Dolezal, who is, in fact, white, has refuted these claims, going as far as saying there is “no biological proof” tying her to her parents. While not of African decent, she identifies herself as black.